River Plate will aim to maintain their place at the top of the Argentine Primera Division Group A table when they make the trip to face Colon on Thursday.

The hosts sit just three points behind their opponents in the table, but are without a win in their previous two league fixtures.

Match preview

Colon have had a strong start to this phase of the season, having only been beaten in three of their previous eight Argentine Primera fixtures, which has left them fourth in Group A.

That is something that could drastically change this week, though, as they trail the league leaders by only three points, meaning a victory could see them replace River Plate at the top.

Colon are undefeated at home in the league during the second phase, which is currently going much better than the first where they finished second bottom with just 25 points in 27 games.

The home form of Nestor Gorosito's men in this phase has seen them secure three wins and a draw, conceding only twice throughout those matches, but that defensive ability will be put to the test by the highest-scoring team in Group A.

Despite their ground being a fortress, Colon will need an improved performance on their last league outing where they fell short by two goals to one against Barracas Central, despite Tomas Galvan giving his team a 14th-minute lead.

The visitors may have slipped up twice already in the second phase of the season, suffering a couple of defeats, but that has not stopped them taking the top spot in Group A.

However, River Plate's lead is a slender one point ahead of the nearest competition, which places a lot of pressure on each fixture as they attempt to increase that.

They were able to dominate the first phase of the season by finishing in top spot with an 11-point gap, and a big reason for that was the attacking qualities within the team.

That is something that River Plate have continued into the newest phase, having scored 15 times in eight matches, which will make them a real threat going forward.

However, during their last outing Salomon Rondon's goal was enough as they proved to be just as defensively capable by keeping a clean sheet, with the balance being something that has carried them well so far this season.

Team News

Ramon Abila will be in contention to start for the hosts in this fixture, having scored eight goals in the league already this season.

Meanwhile, Galvan will believe he has done enough to maintain his place in the midfield three, with the 4-3-2-1 formation likely to continue as Colon aim to be compact against a strong attacking side.

Rondon is expected to lead the line for the visitors in this fixture, fresh from scoring the match-winner during their most recent outing.

River Plate typically use the same formation as their opponents, which is something that will add extra pressure on each individual player as the game will be down to a man-to-man basis.

Colon possible starting lineup:
Chicco; Meza, Goltz, Garces, Mas; Galvan, Lucena, Ibanez; Botta, Pierotti, Abila

River Plate possible starting lineup:
Armani; Casco, Diaz, Pirez, Herrera; De La Cruz, Perez; Fernandez, Lanzini, Barco; Rondon

We say: Colon 1-2 River Plate

Colon might be undefeated at home so far in the second phase, but that is a run that will face its biggest test yet against the league leaders.

The visitors dominated the first phase of the competition by finishing in the top spot, and it is likely River Plate will take another three points here.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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